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Robbi Williams visits KFI

In September 2010, KFI hosted Robbi Williams, the CEO of the Julie Farr group, a trio of self-funded, non-government organizations based in Adelaide South Australia. Their mission is to work to improve the life chances for people living with disability and their families through research, policy development, housing services and grant-giving. Mr. Williams is the National Convenor of In-Control Australia, an initiative that seeks to change the way people with disabilities are supported. Over the past 25 years Mr. Williams has worked in a range of countries and on a range of social issues including disability, mental health, families, ageing, and health.

While visiting with KFI, he was particularly interested to explore how people are supported in ways that are truly personalized, that uphold the person’s control of their life, that anchor the person as an active citizen in the life of their local community, and which uphold the person’s potential. He was also interested in how KFI moved to this from more traditional, congregate supports, and how KFI’s commitment to personalized supports survives in the face of funding cuts, leadership changes, and other threats to progressive services and supports.